Scope of practice

applewhitern, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2016

What a strange question. If you are an RN, how did you get licensed without knowing your scope of practice? Contact your particular Board of Nursing, as each state, country, etc., is different.

Editorial Team / Admin · Sep 16, 2016

Look for the nurse practice acts for your state. I too am a bit surprised by your question- it was required reading in my program and the program's my coworkers graduated from.

sroseo · Sep 16, 2016

OK, maybe I am wording it wrong... I'll give an example...

There was a debate on whether lpns could change a central line dressing. The higher ups said it was fine and I didn't think that could. My rationale was that in nursing school we didn't do that skills check off until AFTER the lpn/rn bridge students joined us. Which I assume means that they were not checked off on it in lpn school and thus can not do it.

I guess what I'm actually looking for is the nurse practice acts.

CraigB-RN, MSN, RN · Sep 16, 2016

Don't use when you learned something in school as an indicator of whether your particular states nurse practice act allows or disalows someting. That will get you in a ton of trouble.

What will tell you that is your state nurse practice act combined with rulings that your board has made over the years.

Log onto your BON's web site and download a copy of your practice act. (Every nurse needs a copy) then search the BON site for any interpretations of the act that may have been made.

AJJKRN · Sep 16, 2016

Don't use when you learned something in school as an indicator of whether your particular states nurse practice act allows or disalows someting. That will get you in a ton of trouble.
What will tell you that is your state nurse practice act combined with rulings that your board has made over the years.
Log onto your BON's web site and download a copy of your practice act. (Every nurse needs a copy) then search the BON site for any interpretations of the act that may have been made.

What I would add to this very sage advice would be to follow your facility's protocols. Every facility is different, just like every nursing school is different in what they teach and allow in clinical.

MikeyT-c-IV · Sep 16, 2016

follow your facility's protocols.

Ah you beat me to it! :)

My BON Practice Act is somewhat vague related to specific procedures. For instance: I place PICC's. Nowhere is it to be found (in our practice act) that I'm allowed to do that.

ComeTogether, LPN · Sep 17, 2016

A lot of skills covered by the nurse practice act are not taught in nursing school. Some RNs don't even learn to start IVs until they are on the job. It totally depends on your state and then your facility.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Sep 17, 2016

OK, maybe I am wording it wrong... I'll give an example...
There was a debate on whether lpns could change a central line dressing. The higher ups said it was fine and I didn't think that could. My rationale was that in nursing school we didn't do that skills check off until AFTER the lpn/rn bridge students joined us. Which I assume means that they were not checked off on it in lpn school and thus can not do it.
I guess what I'm actually looking for is the nurse practice acts.

Every state is different. If the LPN can change a centers line dressing, from my understanding it is after taking an IV therapy course post graduation from a PN program. Even if it is allowed in the state that the nurse practices, the facility can further restrict the role if they choose. One common issue that I had as an LPN was figuring out what facility allowed me to do which types of IV therapy when I worked agency

Buyer beware, BSN · Sep 17, 2016

What a strange question. If you are an RN, how did you get licensed without knowing your scope of practice? Contact your particular Board of Nursing, as each state, country, etc., is different.

This response borders on the brush-off. Instead, the definitive answer should have been to read your state "Nurse Practice Act."

These brilliant documents are beyond the gray area of the usual legal instruments in that they tell you nothing except to take orders from MDs, Dentists, Podiatrists and some others and then jump in a lake if necessary.

By the way did I say Dentists???!!!!

FurBabyMom, MSN, RN · Sep 17, 2016

In every state I've ever been licensed as an RN, the information is easily accessible on the state board's website. Check there?

CraigB-RN, MSN, RN · Sep 17, 2016

Ah you beat me to it! :)
My BON Practice Act is somewhat vague related to specific procedures. For instance: I place PICC's. Nowhere is it to be found (in our practice act) that I'm allowed to do that.

In most cases each BON has a list of clarrifications addressing specific skills. SOme are better at indexingt so you can find these clarficications than others.